Willsmere Conservation Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WILLSMERE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN ··--..........,.. � ,... _::b -�-... �.,= ...= ·' WILLS MERE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Prepared for CENTRAL EQUITY LIMITED by Allom Lovell & Associat� ConservationArchitects 35 LittleBourke S1Ieet Melbourne3000 March1996 TABLE OFCONTENTS iii LIST OF FIGURES V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1.0 CONSULTANTS vi1 l.1 Backgroundand Brief I 1.2 PreviousINfRODUCTION Reports 3 1.3 Location 3 l.4 HeritageListings 3 1.5 Methodology 1.6 Terminology 3 2.0 75 2.1 P11:ViousStatements of Significance 7 2.2 RREVIEWeview of Assessmell!SOF EXISTINGof SiASSESSMENTS gnificance OF SIGNIFICANCE 8 2.3 RevisedStatement of Significance 9 3.0 11 3.1 Introduction 11 PHYSICAL SURVEY 3.2 Docwneruatlon 11 3.3 The DevelopmentWorks 12 4.0 29 4.1 Introduction 29 4.2 ConservationCONSERVATIONPolicy POLICY AND PLAN 29 4.3 C.OnservationRequirements 30 4.4 Compatlble Usesand Adaptallon 31 4.S Levelsof Slgnlfi� 31 4.6 New Construction 57 s.o 47 5.1 INTERPRETATIONIntroduction PLAN 59 5.2 InterpretationPolicy: Public Zone 59 5.3 Interpretation Policy: PrivateRe.$idcntial Z.One 60 5.4 Interpretive CentrePolic y Guidelines/ Details 60 s.s InterpretiveStraregy forthe Private Residential Z.Onc 61 6.0 PROPOSED FUTURE WORKS 65 6.1 Introduction 65 6.2 Remedial 66 6.3 Interpretation 68 Works 6.4 Cyclical Maintenance 68 Worlcs AllomLovell & Associate, i ENDNOTES APPENDIXA BURRA CHARTER APPENDIXB HBC STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE APPENDIXC 1?88CONSERVATION ANALYSIS STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE APPE!\'DIX.D HBC PERMIT APPENDIXE BODY CORPORATE RULES APPENDIXF PROPOSAL FOR A MUSEUM /ARCHIVE iJ AllomLovell & Assccia1es LIST OF FIGURES l Location Plan 2 2 Site PI.an 4 3 Levels of significance• site 32 4 Levels of significance• structures 33 5 Levels of significance- centre-south wing 34 6 Levels of slgnilicanoe• centre-northwing 3S 1 Levels ofsignificance - south-west wing 36 Levels of significance• south-eastwing 98 37 Levels of significance•west wing 38 10 Levels of significance• east wing 39 11 Levelsof significance• north-westwing 40 12 Levels of significance- north-cast wing 41 Significanttrees and otherplanting 47 l3 Al/om LovellAssoclaJ� & iii iv Allom Lovell.{Associates ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thisreport has beenprepared with oonsiderable assistance from Wlllys Span Keeble,conservation consultantfor the Willsmerede-velopment works. AllomLQve/1 Associates & V CONSULTANTS Thisreport has beenprepared by RobynRiddett & Jonaare Kate Gray Allom Levell Associates vi AllomLovell&: Associates 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and Brief Followingthe decision ID close the WlllsmereMemal Hospital taken in 1986. the Victorian GovernmentMajor ProjcasUnit was assigned responsibilityfor overseeingthe sale of the landfor rtdevelopment. The hospitalfinally closedIn 1988. In May 1990, the Jennings Groupwas chosen from a numberof applicants,wilh a proposalfor a combined residential, botcl andcowi:rence CCIIIIC development. and ownmhlp of Ille wmsrneresite was formally transferredco the Jeruungs Group in June 1990. Becauseof the lheneconomic climate, these proposalswere not proceeded with, andthe site wassold in February1993 to CentralEquity Limited. Cenlial Equity have carriedout a residential developmentof the site. corn prisingconversionof Illemain hospitalbuilding and one of the out.Sidewaltls to 154 apanmentsand constructionof 109 new townhouses in thehospital growids. Thewollcs were largely completedat the endof 1994. Th.eHistoric Bulldlngi; Council issued a pennitgiving approvalIn principle forthe developmCll!woits in April1993 (Append.ix D). Among theconditions attachedlo the pennit wasa requirementthat a conservation management beplan pxepan:d.ID address die whole complex, and separately address individual buildin�. SUllctures,wolks andhistoric landscape components.. The planwas to include aninte1pretation policy ll!ld programme and a staged programme forfurure works requiremellls,to form a basisfor estimating futureannual and cyclical maintenancecosts. The BodyCorporate rules (Appendix E) includeschedule 3 which rolares specifically to die HBCpennit conditions and conservationrequirements. This oonservation managementwas plan commissionedby Cenlra1Equity Limired in October 1994. The purposeof the conservationplan is toplO'llide a definitive docwnemwhich addressessignificance the ofttie site and buildings and provides a conservatioopolicy and strategy. The planis inrendedadoption for by CentralEquity limited and the WlllsmereBody Corporateas a managemattdocument for the bu!Jdingsand siteto provide a framewoik in which future worksaffecting the buildings and site c.m assessed.be Althoughit hadbeen in!alded by theHBC thatthe amserva!lon plan becompleled at an early stage in the redevelopmentprogramme, the oommissionin,goflhe planby O::ntraJ.Equity, and ilS subsequerucompletion were delayed for various reasons. TIie resulthas been that the prefe�duse of the CO!l.3ervationplan as a managwicnttool for assessingproposed developmentworks hasin this casenot b«npossible. The detailed approachto the conservation of the exlsting sttuclllre.sand site at Willsmere and the design of newworks was agreedprogressively betwl:en the developerand the HBC,and this oonservalionmanagement plan was developedro take intoacoounl lhe development worksthat were in progn:sswhile the plan was beingpreparc,cl. The existing assessmentsof signilicanooof lhe sitehave been i:eviewed in thelight of the developmentwotks and further knowledge aboutWillsmere and other nineteenlhcentury asylumsites In Victoria.and lhe conselVlllionpolicy has been fommlatcdaccordingly. Thescope of thisconservation management plan includes the landand buildings within lhc Willsmere residential developmentsite, as shownon Figure2. This site correspondswith the WillsmereHiSloric Building Zone defined under the KewPlanning Scheme. It does not include the l8S6 gate lodgeto the north, which is a1rodesignated on the HistoricBuildings AllomLovell & Associaus I Figure I ux:alionplan 2 AllomLqv� II & Astociates Register,or the undesignateddally IO diesouth -west,both of whichlie outsideIlle developmentarea. 1.2 Previous Reports Thebuildings and sitehave previously Ileenthe subjectof a ConservationAnalysis prepared by Best Ovcrendand Partners and Dr M1les Lewis in 1988. Thisdocumelllhlls been the main sourcefor hisroricaland conte,ctual information regarding 1he site. In addition.a seriesof submissionslhe IO HBCand the Minister for Planning were made during 1993by Willys Span-Keeble.the cooservallonamsulta.nt OOIJUllissionedby OnttalEquity Limited, and by other consultants,in co.nncctionwilh the HBC Pennftapplication and the suooequcm appeal regardingplanning permission. 1.3 Location The Willsmeresite Is locatedStudley in Kew, Parle. betwee.nlhe Boulevard a:ndthe Yan:a Rlver tothe west andsouth, the Eastern way Free io thenorth and Kew Coua,gesand Princess Sueet to the east. The siteis su1TOlllldc:dby the Kew Gan:lenshousing development, completedshortly after Ille Willsmere development, on theoonh and west sides,and adjoins the Yarra Bend NationalParle. to the solllhand west. 1.4 Heritage Listings Historic Buildings Council The WII!smere site, Including designatedbuildings. was placed on the HistoricBuildings Registeron 12 February 1991. A oopyof the HBC Statementof Significanceis included in AppendixB. National Trust of Australia (Victoria} Willsmereis classifiedby the NationalTrust ofAwtralla (Victoria). Australian Heritage Commission Willsrnereis included on theRegister of theNational Esta!e. City of Kew TheWlllsmere complex is containedwilhln the 'WillsmereHistoric Building' zone pursuantto Cause I 14of the Kew Planning Scheme. AllomLovell & Associates 3 . :- � ,; w ... ( �•·-.:• FtgureZ Sit.eplan II 4 AilomLo & Associates 1. 5 Methodology The reportbroadly follows1he format of 1he Austtalia ICOMOS (lntematlonal Cotmc!lof Monumentsand Sites) guidelines forthe preparation ofplans consc,vation 1 andthe principle$ set oatin theAustralia ICOMOS Charter fer the Conservalicnof PlacesCultural of Significance(Bum Charter) adopted by AustraliaIC'OMOS to assistin planningconserva11on of heritageplaces. 1. 6 Terminology Theconsc!\lation temlinology used in 1hisreport is of a specific nature, Isand definedwithin die AustraliaICOMOS Charter for the CoruervalionPlaces af of CulturalSignificance (lhe Burra Owtet:)endorsed as by the AUS1r.llianHeritage C-ommission {AppendixA). The terms mmt m:quenfl.yrefemd toare: place, cultural sli:nificance,fabric, conservation, preservation, restoration. reconstructionand adaptation. These terms aredefined in 1hecharter as foTiows: 'Place• means site, area, building or otherwork, group of buildings or other works together with associatedcontents and sum>undings. ·cultural Significance• means aeslhetlc,hlscorlc, sclcntlfic or social value for past. present or futuregenerations. 'Fabric' meansall the physical materialof the place. 'Conservat!on'means all the processesof looking after a placeso as to retain its cultural significance. It includesmaintenance and may acconlingto cireumstanceinclude preservation.restoralion, reconstroctlon · · and adaptation and will liecommonly a combination of morethan oneof these. 'Preservation'means maintaining !he fabric of a place in its existingstate and retaroing dererlol'lllion. 'Restoration•Jne31l.$ returning existingthe fabric of a pl.ac.eknown toa earlierstate by removingaccretions or by reassemblingexisting components without the introductionof new material. •Rec:onstrudion' means remmlng a place as ne.arly possibleas to a known earlierstate and is distinguishedby theintroduction